Kudinga
In Biggles Hunts Big Game, Kudinga was the name of the hunting-lodge/resort operated by Stellar Skyways, an airline belonging to the international counterfeiting ring led by Kravas. It was situated in Central Africa near the point where the borders of Sudan (today South Sudan) meet with French Equatorial Africa (today Central Africa Republic) and Belgian Congo (today Democratic Republic of the Congo). The resort itself was located in an extinct volcanic crater about 12 miles in diameter. The main feature of the resort was the large hotel building which was situated on the lip of the crater overlooking the savannah plains below. The hotel was shaped like three sides of a square, with the lounge and dining room in the centre and bedrooms on the sides for guests. The accomodations were luxurious, with thick walls and double-thatched roofs to keep out the heat. Bedrooms were fully equipped with running water and electricity. Near the hotel was a taxidermy shop and an airstrip with a hangar. The entire hotel building was fenced in with a steel mesh fence. Outside the fence were two service buildings. One was a long barn like structure which was the accommodation for the servants and employees. The other was the power house, which was situated on the shore of a lake within the crater. Adjoining it was the print shop. This was a special building built to be watertight and floated on pontoons on the lake. The illegal counterfeiting activities were conducted in the print shop. The pontoons could be flooded and the entire structure submerged beneath the lake to hide the evidence, for example during a police visit. After the police leave, air could then be blown into the pontoons to refloat the print shop again. Most of the surrounding area was savannah grassland with plentiful game. However there was a belt of forest which grew up the rim of the crater and in towards the lake, ending in a bamboo swamp which surrounded the power house. Guests who wished to visit the lodge signed up for the "Hunters' Tour" organised by Stellar Skyways. This cost £500 for a month's stay with good sport guaranteed. Kudinga was served by three air routes all operated by Stellar Skyways: Dakar, for guests joining from South America, Casablana, for guests joing from North America, and Cairo, for guests joining from Europe. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by the manager, Mr Kreeze and given a briefing about the resort rules, with special emphasis given to not wandering outside the fence without an official guide and the fact that the power house was out of bounds because the bamboo swamp was infested with venomous snakes. Guests were assigned different hunting beats every day. Some beats took the hunters far afield, to the grounds outside the crater, but there were also nearer hunting beats around the forested area inside the crater. At the conclusion of their stay, hunting trophies which guests had collected were handled free of charge. The trophies were first given quick treatment by the resident taxidermist. The counterfeit currency and postage stamps printed by the gang were stuffed inside these hunting trophies and thus were able to make their way through customs without being detected. The trophies would then be sent to larger taxidermy workshops in London, Paris or New York for final dressing and setting up. Here the counterfeit items could be removed and distributed. The trophy could then be delivered to the hotel guest without him ever knowing about it. One such taxidermist working for the gang was Samuel Cassar and Co, of Bantock Place, London E.C.4. Kudinga is a fictional place but John's geographic details are fairly accurate. Ginger observed, accurately, in the 5th chapter "Hunters' Tour", that the place was 1800 miles from Cairo and the Parkington Pacemaker aircraft would take 6 hours at 300 miles an hour. That area, near the tripoint of South Sudan, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is known for its savannah wildlife of the type described in the book, although since that time the numbers have been severely depleted by civil war. Also accurate is the fact that there would be extinct volcanic craters in this area, being on the African Rift Valley. Where Kudinga is in the book is in reality occupied by the town of Ezo in South Sudan. There is no airport and access is difficult because of an ongoing civil war in the area. Category:Places Category:Hotels Category:Fictional places